That would only stand if there were nothing else to do on the Internet besides troll.

Boredom, which can be a symptom of clinical depression, is no excuse for bad behavior. My personal boredom doesn't justify me standing up in a crowded theater and yelling "Oh my god, he's got a bomb!" just to see everyone scramble. There are other things I can do to entertain myself besides going out of my way to cause others grief (both on or off the Internet).

Do we really want to create some sort of electronic Victorian diner party where everyone is stiffly polite to each other?

There's a difference between being impolite and being destructive. Spreading disinformation and taking advantage of people for your own amusement isn't simply being rude or impolite. You can be rude without doing such things.

Just because there's a general rule against food fights doesn't mean everyone's out to get a Victorian dinner party going. Most people don't care if you put your elbows on the table but catapulting cranberries at people wearing white shirts is going too far.

Just because there's a general rule against food fights doesn't mean everyone's out to get a Victorian dinner party going. Most people don't care if you put your elbows on the table but catapulting cranberries at people wearing white shirts is going too far..

It might get too far, but if its funny for the moment, why not? In the end the guy throwing with the cranberries has to deal with the consequences and its up to him if it was worth the swollen eye (and sometimes it is).